So far the "dawn chorus" around here has consisted entirely of resident 
species (plus a few White-throated Sparrows tuning up in preparation for 
moving out). The upside is that I can easily identify all the sounds that 
come in the window, even if I'm not fully awake. The downside is that most 
of those sounds belong to titmice and woodpeckers, who aren't exactly most 
tuneful songsters. Robins and cardinals can get pretty repetitive, too. And 
did I mention the titmice?

Late last night, however, a mockingbird started singing loudly from our 
neighbor's yard. I'm not sure what triggered it -- the moon hadn't risen 
yet -- but it was a real pleasure to hear.

Janet Millenson
Potomac, MD (Montgomery County)

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"Look at the birds!" -- Pascal the parrot